Family Ties
by cherry619
Summary: The bond of the Winchesters proves to be their saving grace and their downfall. As Dean and John investigate a hunt near Stanford, Sam finds himself falling neck deep into the same hunt himself. Can he really say goodbye to John and Dean again? Is escaping hunting all together even possible?
1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note: **This story was written for the spn_gen_bigbang over at LJ. I really wanted to play around with canon and Sam's time at Stanford and how it affected all three of them equally. I worked really hard on this so I really hope you all enjoy the story. The story will be split between two parts (as I posted it on LJ) so two chapters! I really do hope you enjoy the story. Thanks, Charity

* * *

It wasn't like Sam counted on finding a hunt. Of course it wasn't. Sam spent every waking hour of his teen life trying to study and get good grades so he could _escape _the hunt. The hunt had been killing him, sucking the life out of him as the days went on. Sam was sure that if he hadn't left when he did, he would have wound up retreating so far into himself that he probably would have gotten himself killed. Right before he left for Stanford, he was on auto pilot. Doing things without question, almost subconsciously. His Dad gave him strange looks but was also smiling more at the 'new' Sam. The Sam that woke up every morning and did as he was told, like a good solider.

The California sun had long since set, leaving the town cast in a cold wind. Sam pulled his thin jacket closer to stave off the cold. His flashlight bobbed about as his hand trembled. He was a competent hunter, could dismantle a gun in under 10 seconds, had faced all sorts of monsters most people couldn't have imagined, but he hated the cold. One of the reasons why he loved Stanford so much was because it was in sunny California. Whenever they had to move up North; Sam loathed it. The harsh snow and frigid temperatures just weren't for him. That's not to say that California never got cold, it definitely did, but Sam was usually tucked away in his dorm room, either sleeping or studying.

Before Stanford Sam was like a robot, letting his brain take over as his emotions slowly withered away. It was a job, a routine. Something Sam didn't have to think about. Tonight though, it was more than a job. Sam wasn't just doing this because he didn't have the will to stop it. No, Sam was doing this because people were dying. That burning need to save someone, to help someone. That was still inside Sam.

_I never thought I would do this again. I gave this up._Sam slowly crept through the forest, trying to be as stealthy as he could. He didn't want to alert the nasty ogre that had taken up resident in Palo Alto's small forest.

It had been taking hikers and local students and dragging them back to its cave. From what Sam read in the local newspaper the bodies were almost unrecognizable. He was going to call his Uncle Bobby to ask for another hunter to come take a look but when Jessica Moore, the cute girl in his sociology class came crying to him about the police finding the body of her best friend, Sam couldn't do anything but reassure her and set out a plan to hunt the damn thing himself. It was like the last push Sam needed to finally decide to delve back in.

Hearing a twig snap in the eerie silence made Sam freeze. His breath stilled as his hand shook around the flashlight. He slowly turned around and aimed the beam toward where he heard the sound.

Another twig snapping had Sam slowly setting his bag down to retrieve his weapon. The gun wouldn't do anything but anger the ogre but for now it would have to work because Sam didn't have time to get out his lighter fluid. The only way to kill an ogre was to burn it, a flare gun would have worked wonders but Sam left that behind when he set out on his new life. So now he had to use what he could.

He aimed his gun with one hand and aimed the flashlight with the other, it was awkward and stupid considering he was left with no hands but for right now, it had to do. He waited until a figure started to emerge from the shadows. Sam held his breath and pulled back the safety on his gun.

_**One Week Later**_

Sam stared at his phone as he nibbled on his lip. Dean's name was highlighted as his finger hovered over the send button. He wanted so badly to talk to his brother but with the way things had ended those few months ago he was scared he would be rejected. That maybe Dean finally said good riddance to the burden of him, that maybe he was in agreement with Dad.

_I can handle Dad hating me. I just couldn't handle it if Dean did too._

Deciding against it, Sam pulled away from his phone and gently kneaded his forehead. He had a major headache, had been having them for days and Advil or Tylenol didn't seem to help. He didn't know if it was the stress of school or the stress of leaving on such bad terms. Whatever it was, it was seriously starting to get to him.

Rubbing at his forehead again, Sam slowly got up from his cramped desk chair and walked towards his window. Surprisingly enough he got a view of the front of the school. It gave Sam a chance to look at all the new students arriving. Staring out the window Sam smiled when he noticed a flash dirty blonde curls go by.

_Jessica._

Jessica Moore was in his sociology class. He met her on the first day when she noticed, the klutz he was, him break his one and only pencil. She smiled brightly at him as she dug in her purse and gave him a new one. Jessica was the only one who talked to him these first few weeks. Everyone else shunned him or turned their noses up at him but Jessica took the time to talk to him, ask him his name, and tell him hers which started a meager friendship.

Every time she smiled Sam's heart gave a little flutter, or whenever he heard her angelic voice it felt like he was floating on cloud nine.

_On cloud nine? Dude what are you? A pussy?_

Taken out of his dreaming, Sam shook his head at Dean's voice and rubbed at his forehead again. _This headache was affecting me more than I thought._

Sighing Sam closed the curtains and stared in dismay at his room. It was so empty, _cold_even. Just his bed with the standard sheets and blankets, a broken table that was left here and his duffle sitting in the corner.

Sam should be used to the decor really; some of the motels and houses they shacked in were much worse than this but this isn't exactly what Sam envisioned when he thought of _normal_but he couldn't buy new furniture without a job. He still had money saved up but that stash was slowly dwindling down to nothing.

_It would be easier if I just ran a credit card scam._Sam shook his head of the thought. He wouldn't do that, he gotten away from things like that. He would just have to find a job.

Hearing his stomach growl a little Sam decided it was probably time to stop by the cafeteria for something to eat before he headed to bed.

Walking over to his duffle he rummaged around for his wallet until his hands hit something else. Something metal. Pulling it out Sam's heart constricted at noticing it was his knife that Dean bought him for his thirteenth birthday.

He felt his throat close up a little as his hand ran over the smooth metal handle. He remembered that day clearly, their Dad was off on another hunt as usual and Sam was heartbroken that his own father didn't even want to spend Sam's birthday with him.

The thing Sam remembered the most though was Dean was visibility upset. Sam didn't know whether it was because Sam was upset or that Dad didn't come either way when Sam laid down for a nap and woke back up Dean magically had a small birthday cake that they shared and a present neatly wrapped in a box. Ok it wasn't that neat but it was the thought that counted.

Sam remembered his excitement as he tore through the box to discover the knife. Dean made him promise that he would be careful with it and with a quick nod of yes Sam felt like he was a grownup like Dean and their Dad.

Swallowing at the memories Sam tightened his hand around the knife until his knuckles began to turn white.

Sam set the knife back into the bottom of his duffle and grabbed his wallet instead. His hand missed the familiar feel of the knife, the handle perfectly molded to his hand from years of wear and tear. Sam settled his hand in his pocket and walked out of the dorm.

_That life is behind me now._

* * *

"Thanks." John muttered to the old man at the front desk. He jiggled the keys in his hands as he made his way over to where Dean was leaning against the Impala.

"We got the room in the back." John barked out.

Dean sighed at his Dad's gruff voice and pulled his hands out of his jacket pockets. John's been in a sour mood since their last hunt went awry. John walked away with a limp and Dean had to stay in the hospital with a concussion.

All in all the hunt sucked and Dean just wanted some peace. He didn't need to deal with his Dad's bad mood on top of it. Knowing that John didn't want any pleasantries Dean just nodded his head in agreement and waited for John to unlock their shared room.

Once the door was opened they both entered in silence with John dropping their bags near their respective beds, John unzipped his duffle and quickly retrieved a shirt and some sleep pants then he immediately headed to the bathroom.

"Nice talking to ya." Dean muttered darkly at the bathroom door. Hearing the water start up Dean cautioned towards his Dad's duffle bag and opened it up; down at the bottom was a bottle of Jack Daniels his Dad saved when he couldn't hit the local bar in town. He unscrewed the top and took three long gulps, the alcohol burning his throat and making him shiver. It was nowhere near the capacity of where he wanted to be, but it would help before Dean's last patience snapped tonight.

Screwing the cap back on, he placed the liquor back in its correct spot and zipped the duffle bag back up. His Dad would be none the wiser.

Taking off his leather jacket, Dean laid it on his bed and rummaged around in his own duffle bag. Pulling out the papers he printed earlier in the day, he sat on the bed and began to read them.

_Local Teen's body found mangled, authorities say it was a wild bear attack._

Dean snorted at that and shook his head of the stupidity of the police sometimes. Whenever any death happened near a forest and the body was unrecognizable the police always stated it was a wild animal attack and left it at that.

This time though? Dean wasn't too sure. This was the only death so he wasn't too sure why they were out here investigating it. Dean wasn't looking a gift horse in the mouth though, this hasty trip up here would give Dean the chance to check in on Sam and see how he was doing.

Feeling his throat close a little at the thought of Sam, Dean set the pages down when they began to blur a little.

Sighing he rubbed a shaky hand over his tired face trying to get his brother's broken expression out of his mind. It's been on constant repeat since that day, Dean can't help but feel guilty at watching Sam walk away, and watching as Sam shattered at the words.

While he just stared as Sam made his way down the road, his body frozen but his heart slowly shattering.

"Dean?"

Dean jumped at his Dad's voice. "Jesus Christ Dad! Don't do that!"

John just smirked and threw the towel he was drying his hair off with on the floor. "Bathroom's yours. I'll read up more and try to see what we're dealing with here."

"Alright I'll take a shower in a minute." Dean muttered.

John just shrugged and walked over to pick up the papers Dean abandoned on the bed. "Suit yourself."

"Any ideas to what this thing is?"

"No clue could be a werewolf the lunar cycle is right but the report didn't say anything about the heart missing." Dean added thoughtfully, as he rummaged through his duffle for clothes.

"That's what I was thinking. Hopefully tomorrow we can check out the body and see for ourselves. Is your suit washed?"

"Yes sir." Dean rolled his eyes at his father's words. He wasn't a five year old who didn't do laundry for God sakes. In fact Dean was the only one who did laundry around here.

_You can't force Sam to do it for you anymore._

Dean paused in pulling out his boxers at the thought.

John's eyes narrowed at the movement but he didn't say anything about it. His eyes skimmed the paper until he heard Dean shut the bathroom door.

Sighing quietly, his tense stance evaporated as his hands trembled. Dark circles could be seen under his eyes in the dim lighting, telling that John Winchester hadn't had a good night sleep in ages.

_Maybe that's because every time you try, you dream about the words you said to your own son. How could I have said those things to him? I was just scared...oh God Sammy._

John felt his eyes water a bit but he refused to cry. He gave Sam his ultimatum, and Sam was happy it's not like he and Dean wouldn't be checking up on him throughout the hunt.

It was why he jumped the gun just to come here truth be told. He had a suspicion Dean knew why but if he did he wasn't forthcoming. In fact his once vibrant son seemed to be shrinking in on himself. Every day Dean became more distant like he was slowly pulling away from John all together.

_I already lost one son I can't lose the other too._

Giving up on reading the papers tonight, John got up from the old table and made his way over to his bed. He contemplated having a drink but decided against it, he wouldn't be any good to the hunt with a nasty hangover. The alcohol was so tempting though, John had to admit. If he drank enough Sam's face wouldn't haunt him in his dreams.

Staring longingly at his duffle where he knew it was stashed he sighed and pulled back the dirty comforter to climb into bed. He prayed that his young son wouldn't be there when he closed his eyes.

Standing under the shower until the water turned cold Dean tried to find the energy to get out and get dressed. His body was shutting down on him; he no longer had the energy to do anything anymore. He wondered if that was why his Dad was so short with him recently. If John had been noticing his lack luster performance on the hunt lately.

Normally Dean would care, Dean would try his best to shape up, get better but now? Now Dean just really didn't care. His _body_didn't care.

Turning off the cold water, Dean grabbed the towel hanging on the rack and dried himself off. Stepping out of the shower he quickly pulled on his boxers and some jeans.

Sleep wasn't going to come fast tonight, no, instead Dean had some other important business to attend too.

Opening the door, steam pouring out behind him Dean instantly spotted his father's form on the bed, sleeping; his back moving up and down slowly.

Dean stared at him for a few moments taking in the lines of fatigue on his face. John was just as destroyed over Sam leaving as Dean was.

Dean smiled a little at thinking of how Sam would roll his eyes at that and tell him what a liar he was. The smile soon slipped though. _Dad cares Sam; I just wish he showed it before..._

Dean's mind shut off as he pulled on a t-shirt and put on his leather jacket again. Grabbing the keys he slowly exited the motel and walked to the Impala. The night air was a little chilly for California. _God, Sammy must hate that._

Smiling Dean got in and started it up, slowly pulling out of the parking lot and heading to Stanford.

The distant to Palo Alto is a small one. With no traffic this late at night it only takes Dean fifteen minutes to pull up to the school. Shutting off the impala he sits in the car and stares at the buildings before him. He feels his breathing speed up a little as his hands begin to shake.

This would be the first time Dean saw Sam face to face. Well almost face to face in the dark. They've had other hunters swing by and give them status reports on Sam but this would be the first time they swung by themselves.

Taking a deep breath Dean put his keys in his pocket and slowly makes his way up to building that houses the dorm rooms.

The building was easy to spot since it was off to the side overlooking the parking lots and walkways where students busied along to get to class. It wasn't easy getting in the building since you needed a student ID card to enter. Dean already had that covered though. He had Bobby make him one a while ago that should work on the doors. Dean wanted to be able to see Sam up close so he knew his little brother was alright. Having the student ID card would ensure Dean access to be able to do so.

Sliding the card and waiting for the door to open. Dean slowly walked down the corridor and up some stairs until he was on the second floor. The building itself was pretty impressive, housing three floors all together with rooms on both sides it probably was easy to house students. Not to mention there was also another dormitory building on the west side of campus that was as big as this one. And with apartment buildings close by and motels scattered about, college kids had it easy when trying to find a suitable place to lay ground.

_First door on the left._Dean reminded himself as he came face to face with room number 200. He stared at the ratty door in question and had to calm himself before he chickened out. Checking the handle he was dismayed to see that the door wasn't locked which worried him at first but then realizing how secure the campus is there really wasn't any need to lock a door.

_Sammy knew better though._Dean argued with himself silently, standing outside the door like a fool. Shaking his head he slowly twisted the lock until the door popped open. Letting his eyes adjust to the moon light streaming in through the window, Dean immediately spotted his brother.

Sam was passed out on the bed a book lying over his chest as he breathed in and out.

Dean's throat closed a little at the sight. Sam looked so small and vulnerable on the bed. All his instincts were screaming at him to bundle Sam up and take him home. Sam was a grown man now, he could make his own decisions and Sam wanted to go to college, Dean had to respect that.

_Why is it so hard though?_Hearing sounds coming from the stairs, Dean realized he had to nip this visit in the bud. Locking the door before he closes it softly, Dean silently brushed past two kids on his way out the building.

Standing outside the building, Dean looked up to the second floor and says, "Hope you're happy Sammy."

Swallowing the lump in his throat, Dean walked silently toward the impala intending to maybe find a bar to unwind in for a little before he went to the motel.

Opening up the driver's door Dean paused. "What...?"

Silently in the distance he could hear police sirens, getting louder as they came this way. It wasn't until five minutes later that the cruisers zoomed past at break neck speeds, taking a harsh turn down a dirt road close by.

The dirt road led into the forest where a camp ground was, including more hiking trails.

Which meant... "Son of a bitch." Dean cursed as he hurriedly got into the Impala and pulled out. He stomped on the gas as he hurried back to the motel.

Their resident monster had struck again

* * *

The incessant alarm buzzed loudly as Sam rolled over in bed. The sun was streaming in through the curtains only adding to his ever present headache.

Grumbling some more, Sam blindly felt around until he encountered the book he was reading last night. Cursing that he fell asleep reading Sam flung the book off the bed and smiled as he heard it hit the floor.

Trying to go back to sleep though was another matter. He cursed himself for not going out and buying new curtains like he said he would. Now it's coming back to bite him in the ass as the sun cheerfully shines in his room, almost mocking him. Groaning, Sam fumbled with the alarm on his small side table until he hears the thing finally shut up.

Lying in bed for a few moments Sam contemplated if he should maybe go back to sleep. It's not like he had any early classes today. His only class today was at 12:30. Checking the alarm Sam noted it was only 8:45 so that left him plenty of time to maybe get rid of his headache and catch some well needed sleep.

Hearing loud yells and chattering outside his door had Sam frowning.

_What the hell is everyone up for?_

Slinging the covers off of his legs he sat up in his bed, rubbing his face as he tried to wake himself up. Standing up he stumbled some until he finally made it to the bathroom, taking a quick moment to relieve himself and brush his teeth.

Looking in the mirror Sam cringed at his face, he looked almost translucent in the pale lighting. Part of it was him going to bed so late. _I knew I shouldn't have read that book._The other half Sam knew was the foreign routine. No matter how much he loathed the nights he spent researching, sitting in the Impala waiting to see if his family came back from the hunt okay, or going out and hunting with them. It's still practically all he knew. Sam was a night owl and trying to go to bed on a normal schedule and get up when his classes started proved harder than Sam originally thought.

Shaking his head, Sam splashed some water on his face to try and make himself presentable. His bed hair was just going to have to wait until he went out and got some coffee. It's not like his average hair do was any different really.

Slipping out of his sleep pants, Sam wrangled on some worn jeans and a navy blue shirt. Grabbing his wallet off the table Sam pocketed it and walked towards the door. The closer he got the louder the voices got.

Sam furrowed his brows and contemplated maybe waiting out the buzz that seemed to await him. He still wasn't okay with huge crowds, especially huge crowds of strangers who thought drinking beer upside down was a good idea.

_I still need that coffee though._Sam thought to himself with a sigh. There was no other way for him to fully wake up. He just had to deal with the morning buzz and do his best not to get swallowed up in the process.

Going to turn the door handle Sam frowned when he noticed it was locked.

_I didn't lock my door last night._Unlocking it smoothly Sam stared at the handle for a few moments trying to remember if he somehow locked his door last night. He didn't remember but locking doors and windows was so ingrained in him that he probably did it without realizing it.

But Sam couldn't help the small shiver that ran down his spine. Something was off.

Sam was prepared for a huge crowd but nothing like this. Students and kids alike stood outside their doors mingling together. Even only being here for a few weeks, Sam knew that more than half of these people don't just stand outside and chat, especially at 9 am.

"Man I can't believe that happened."

Sam acted as if he was checking his wallet as he smoothly retrieved it from his pocket; he listened in on his neighbor chatting with some girl.

"I know. I mean she was in my Psychology class and now she's gone."

Sam frowned and wondered if maybe someone died. But someone dying doesn't usually generate this kind of buzz.

"I just don't understand how a bear could have attacked her. She wasn't even on the hiking trails was she?

"No, not that I know of. She was actually in the parking lot."

Sam swallowed and did his best not to respond to the words 'understand' and 'attack'. Years and years of this life has taught Sam that when someone didn't understand how someone else could have been attacked, it's usually bad news.

Slipping his wallet back in his pocket, Sam made his way through the throngs of people, catching snippets of their conversion all telling the same tale he heard from his neighbor. A girl being attacked by a bear, last know location the school parking lot.

Making his way down the stairs to the bottom floor, all thoughts of coffee went out the window as he hurried to the front office, where he knew the local papers were sold.

The sun was already beating down as Sam made his way to the office building next door. He found himself sweating in his dark, cotton t-shirt and wished he would have maybe picked a lighter color to wear. _I wish I could have woken up and never knew about any of this._

Sam sighed and canvased the area around him. Stanford was actually a really beautiful place, totally unlike the other schools Sam had read about. The grass surrounding the various walkways was a bright green, neatly trimmed. You could tell the lawn and the beautiful flowers scattered about were well taken care of. The benches and the lone gazebo by an oak tree were both painted pristine white. Already students were sitting underneath as they studied or had a quick breakfast.

Sam smiled and breathed the crisp air deeply. Despite the abrupt wake up call, it was still nice to walk around campus.

Stopping at the office building Sam pushed open the heavy glass doors and immediately spotted the newspaper stands right next to the vending machines. Pulling fifty cents from his pocket Sam deposited the money and retrieved himself a paper.

Tucking the paper underneath his arm, Sam made his way back outside, intending to find an unoccupied seat away from prying eyes.

Scanning the surround area Sam smiled when he saw the students who were sitting under the gazebo earlier vacated their spot. Making his way over he walked up the two steps and took a seat on one of the benches in the middle.

Sighing, Sam took a moment to compose himself before he straightened the paper out and browsed the front page. Almost immediately the words 'death' and 'mauling' popped out at him as he bit his lip in anxiety.

_**Local college student found mauled to death in Palo Alto Park. Body was discovered by couple walking along the park's many hiking trails. Authorities are saying a bear attack and citing the death as an accident. Mary-Anne Hilton was majoring in business administration.**_

Sam stared at Mary-Anne's smiling face as he did his best not to drop the paper from his shaking hands.

"Hey there, is this seat taken?"

Sam jumped at the voice and looked up to see a petite brunette standing beside him. She had purple streaks going through her dark hair and carried a small messenger bag over her shoulder. She smiled at him, which was when Sam realized he didn't answer her. "Sure yeah I-I mean no this seat isn't taken." Sam blushed.

The girl smiled and settled down onto the seat with a small sigh. "Phew it's really hot out there. I didn't want to sit in the scorching sun just to wait for class to start."

Sam laughed a little. "Yeah I hear you. Stays nice and cool underneath here. Why didn't you just wait in your dorm room?"

"I don't have a dorm room here. I live in one of the apartment buildings close by but I can never learn the perfect time to leave so I won't be here early."

Sam smiled. "Being too early is almost as bad as being too late."

When the girl didn't answer after a few moments Sam stared at her and realized she was looking at the paper he held in his hands. "I-is that the article about Mary-Anne?" The brunette trembled a little as she pointed to the article Sam held in his hands.

"Yeah, yeah it is. Did you know her?" Sam asked in a soothing voice, noting the small trembles going through the girl.

"No, I just, she was my best friend's roommate. Eve is so destroyed over this happening. I was up all night with her as the cops came and talked to her. I never really got to meet Mary-Anne though but from what Eve said about her, she was a smart girl. It's such a shame this happened."

Sam smiled sympathetically and wondered if maybe placing a comforting hand on her shoulder would be too much. "It really is a shame; do the police know what happened maybe? Why she was out on those hiking trails?"

The girl shook her head sadly. "No, from what Eve said Mary-Anne was in the parking lot the last time she saw her. She was going to the store real quick and Eve said she was supposed to come right back but Eve never said anything about her hiking or going out into the woods. Mary-Anne was a city gal so she wasn't one to just go taking a stroll through nature you know?"

Sam frowned and wondered how a girl could go from the parking lot to the forest in the span of a few minutes. "Did they say when they found her?"

The girl blanched and Sam internally berated himself for being too forward. "I-I'm sorry I know this must be hard for you. I'm just trying to make sense of this."

"It's ok." She smiled a little. "I didn't even tell you my name. My name's Angela."

"Sam." Sam smiled back at her and felt himself blush again. _What is with me and blushing around women? Dean would be laughing his ass off right now._

"Well they said time of death was around 2:04 and Eve said Mary-Anne left to go to the store at 1:35."

The window of opportunity was very small. Sam had a hard time believing Mary-Anne would wander down the road until she hit the old dirt trail and then walk even more to get to the camp ground at 1:35 at night. Which meant someone had to of taken her, or something.

Sam was interrupted out of his thoughts when Angela made a slight groaning sound as she checked her watch. "Ugh Calculus is starting soon. I should leave so I can make it there on time."

"Calculus huh? You a genius or something?"

Angela laughed. "Pretty friggin' far from it. Thanks for the compliment though. I'll see you around Sam."

Angela waved a small hand goodbye before she took off, her dark colored hair swaying gently behind her.

Sam watched her go and felt himself expel a breath of air. Doesn't matter how old he got, he would always be a goof around women. And Dean would just have a field day with that one.

Thinking about his brother had Sam freezing up again. He straightened the paper out and stared at Mary-Anne's face.

_Maybe it was just a mauling? I mean bears live in those forests. Sam contemplated to himself softly._

Dude, suspicious circumstances surrounding such a gruesome death need to be looked into. Even if you find nothing at least you can say you did everything you could to help.

Hearing his brother's voice decided it for him. Sam couldn't just let this go unchecked. The least he could do with his knowledge was to make sure it really was a bear attack and if it wasn't, Sam could always call Uncle Bobby and tell him about it. Bobby would have someone out here stat.

If there was one thing Sam wasn't doing, he wasn't hunting. No matter what comes up. He gave that life up and he wasn't prepared to dive back in head first.

Standing out and releasing the kinks in his back. Sam tucked the paper back under his arm and made his way back to his dorm room. He had a lot of researching to do before his afternoon class.

* * *

Morning came way too soon for Dean.

After breaking speeds to get back to the motel and alert John about the attack, Dean was about ready to pass out. He was running off of adrenaline alone and after that died out Dean was ready to face plant.

But John, ever the competent hunter, decided they needed to research some more, try and gather more information before they went to the crime scene early this morning to get even more information from the officials.

Hearing John's cheery voice as he told Dean to wake up was so not on his to-do list today.

Dean groaned and flung a hand over his eyes, blocking out his Dad's smiling face. He was enjoying this way too much.

"Come on Dean. I heard the police scanner they are canvassing the area today for evidence." John reminded his son again as he buttoned up his crisp dress shirt. If you wanted to be a Fed you had to look the part, and he never had any trouble doing that.

Dean just groaned again and slowly maneuvered himself from the bed. His tongue was stuck to the roof of his mouth and he felt a small headache begin to pound behind his eyes.

_Just friggin great._Dean grumbled as he pushed himself off of the bed in search of the bathroom. He felt himself sway a little and had to steady himself on the table. Hearing John snickering behind him made him sulk even more as he muttered all the way to the bathroom about his way too cheery father.

Dean decided to skip the shower this morning. He just didn't have the energy to do so. Plus he knew John really wanted to head over to the crime scene to talk to the police about what they currently had.

Walking out of the bathroom, Dean glanced around and silently cheered when he noticed his suit sitting on his Dad's bed all laid out. Normally he would seethe at John laying out his clothes for him as if he was five but right now Dean wanted to kiss the man. He didn't think he'd be able to focus on anything as he tried to search for the suit in his duffel bag.

Due to being stuffed at the bottom for so long the suit was kind of wrinkly and John would usually admonish him for not keeping it crisp but Dean literally could care less right now. All he wanted was some coffee and maybe to go to sleep for another 5 hours and try not to think about Sam the whole time.

Was that too much to ask?

Putting on his suit silently, Dean flattened the wrinkles as best as he could so he hopefully didn't look like too much of a slump.

Styling his hair a little to clean himself up Dean was ready to go.

"Got the notes Dean?"

"Yes sir." Dean responded softly, grasping the notes and the journal to take with them.

"The badges?"

"Yes, they are in the glove box as always."

"Good. I'll meet you outside, I'm driving."

And with that John was off, carrying his suit jacket behind him without another word.

Dean rolled his eyes and contemplated just falling on his bed and never waking up but he couldn't do that to his dad. Even if the man was shitty company he would never abandon his dad.

_Like Sammy abandoned you._ His inner voice announced evilly making Dean shake his head. _No, Sammy didn't abandon me. He wanted to live his own life, and I respect that._

_Are you sure Dean? You sure that Sammy didn't just get sick of you and wanted to leave you? That maybe John won't do the same?_

Ignoring the voices Dean marched out of the motel room with a sour look on his face. Sliding into the Impala and closing the door with a slam he spared his dad no mind, silently communicating that he didn't feel like talking.

John, receiving the message, just shrugged and cranked up the car. Pulling out smoothly as they drove to the crime scene.

Of course it was a relatively short distance for them. It took only 25 minutes tops to arrive there. John pulled into the dirt road and silently thought about how pissed Dean would be if he got dirt on his baby. Smiling to himself John glanced over softly and still saw how tense Dean seemed to be.

He didn't want to start off the day at odds with each other. He wasn't sure if maybe he said something to upset Dean so he figured he should tread on careful ground with him.

"Going to have to wash her up when we're done down here."

Dean glanced over at his Dad. "Yeah guess so."

"Maybe after this we can head on over to Auto Zone or something and give her a nice tune up like we said we would?" John offered hopefully, wanting Dean to relax and talk to him again.

Dean melted and smiled a little. Working on the car would help his nerves and nothing was better than fixing his baby. "She does need a tune up."

"Great." John announced; his smile nice and bright. He parked the Impala a little distance away and slowly got out of the car. He saw the techs and cops walking around, talking to each other, some snapping pictures and others scribbling in note books. It was a familiar scene for them since they've done this so many times in the past.

Hearing Dean get out and shut the door behind him, John waited until Dean reached his back and silently slipped him his badge. Swiftly sticking it in his jacket pocket he made his way over.

The man in charge had a pot belly to rival any pig, his mustache reminding him too much of Burt Reynolds to ever take him seriously. Dean had to do his best not to break out a smile.

"Mornin' gentlemen, how can I help you?"

"I'm Agent Bonham and this is my partner Agent Plant." John pulled out his badge as Dean did the same.

The man eyed the badges as he slid his dark sunglasses down his sweating face. He gave a grunt of surprise and nodded.

"Feds huh? I didn't get any calls about Feds showing up in my town." The man announced, obviously unhappy with another law agency interfering with his investigation.

John gave the man a stormy look. He didn't have time to deal with an overweight sheriff pissed he wasn't in control anymore. "As I was saying, we're here to investigate the recent deaths, we've gotten reports that it's just a wild bear attack but we wanted to make sure."

The man stood to his full height of only 5'5 and adjusted his waist band around his round belly.

Dean rolled his eyes at the attempted show of dominance.

"I see. I'll have my deputy debrief you and answer any and all questions now if you excuse me gentlemen I have a case to solve."

Dean watched the man walk, well waddle, off near the police cruiser where a young guy was talking on the radio. Dean assumed that was the deputy.

"What an ass." John whispered to his son which got Dean to flash him a brief smile.

"More like what a _pig_did you see the belly on that guy?" Dean said back with amusement in his eyes.

"Too many donuts I presume."

Dean and John shared a secret smile with one another when the deputy approached them.

He looked to be in his mid-twenties, light blond with blue piercing eyes, and his uniform neatly ironed.

_So vanilla_. Dean thought to himself silently, trying his best not to break out in a fit of laughter.

"Hi I'm Deputy Matthers; you can call me Eric though. Sheriff Thompson said you needed debriefing on what we have so far?"

"Yes, we'd like to hear what you have so far, and whether you think the deaths were because of animal mauling's or something else."

The young deputy swallowed at the mention of something else which led Dean to believe this small town didn't see too many serial killers.

"The medical examiner later re-examined our first victim once we got call of this one. We aren't exactly certain if it was an animal anymore, while the slashes resemble claw marks we aren't ruling out maybe a serial killer with a weapon either." Deputy Matthers stated with a small shiver running down his spine.

Dean watched the kid and kind of felt bad for him, something supernatural shouldn't ever be in a small town like this. _This close to Sammy._

"Any prints? Identifying trade marks on the victims? Any evidence?" John asked calmly, noting the way the young deputy was shaking.

"That's the thing, not a print in sight. We're thinking our guy wore two sets of gloves. Of course if it is a guy and not a bear. There are a lot of bears in these woods."

John nodded and decided to give the kid a break. He was looking a little green around the gills and too hopeful of it being a bear attack but he knew different. "Thanks son we'll look into it. We'll give you a call if we need anything else." John nodded to the deputy as he lightly grabbed Dean's arm and guided him out of hearing distance.

"So what do you think?"

"I think this whole town is freaked, they haven't seen anything like this before." Dean stated. He looked at all the techs snapping pictures, bagging evidence, going over everything with a fine tooth comb. They were all freaked out; scared that maybe they did have a serial killer on their hands.

"Still think it's a werewolf?" Dean questioned back, wanting to hear what his Dad thought.

"No, I really don't but I don't know what else can maul a human being like that. Especially one that wasn't even in the woods."

"Yeah we have to look into it some more. I'll go to the library later and see what I can pull up. Maybe you can interview some friends and see what they say?" Dean offered.

"Sounds like a plan son, but first we have to get the Impala in working order."

Dean smiled; he didn't think his Dad would go through with his earlier promise. "Awesome."

Walking silently back to the Impala. Dean stared at the scenery and thought about how beautiful it looked in the morning light. It really was no wonder why Sam choose Stanford. The sun, the nature, the huge library close by. Everything that Sam loved.

"Hey, sure wish we had geek boy with us. He'd of had this figured out in a pinch." Dean smiled but then seeing the look in John's eyes he realized what a mistake he made.

"Dad I-"

"Save it, let's just go back to the motel and figure this damn thing out." John trudged along with his hands deep in his pants pocket, leaving Dean behind regretting he brought up Sam.

Dean shook his head and hurried up to get to the Impala. It seemed like fixing her up was out of the question now. Might as well get this done so they both could get out of here, being so close to Sam was doing more harm than it was good.

* * *

Squinting at text book Sam tried to make out what it said. He had some experience in translating Latin to English but it's been awhile.

Closing the book softly Sam sighed and kneaded his forehead. It seemed like he's been reading for hours, trying his best to try and find out what this thing just is. Everything leading to dead ends.

The library was big and had everything Sam could ever need. He loved sitting in it and getting lost for hours in a book. The Librarian was also nice and knew Sam's name by now since he came in more frequently. He's probably spent more hours in the library then in his dorm room.

Dean would likely laugh at him and call him a geek for it. Sam sighed again at the thought of his brother. Sliding the book in his bag, Sam checked his watched and almost had to do a double take.

The numbers 12:45 flashed at him cruelly reminding Sam he was supposed to be at class fifteen minutes ago.

"Shit." Sam whispered, gathering up his paper and hastily stuffing it in his book bag. Sliding it over his shoulder he bolted past students and gave a quick wave to the librarian who smiled at him.

Stepping out into the hot sun Sam cursed himself for not keeping track of the time. Now he'd have to walk a mile just to get back to campus, leaving him a sweaty, panting mess but Sam couldn't afford to miss it.

Hiking his book bag higher Sam took off hoping he didn't miss too much.

Sam finally made it to class come 1:00, the professor was in deep discussion and Sam was about to fall over. He did his best to stealthy enter but the door creaked which caused the rest of the class to turn and stare at him.

"Glad you can join us Mr. Winchester."

Sam blushed and hid behind his bangs.

He was about to sit in the back so he could hide to try and get over his embarrassment when he noticed Jess.

She was staring at him with a smile, her curly blonde hair cascading over her shoulders. She motioned for him to sit down next to her.

Sam blushed again and made his way over to where she was seated.

Sam settled his bag down and melted into the seat with a sigh. He could feel his dark t-shirt sticking to his back and he grimaced.

"Wow you look like you just got back from the gym." Jess said in amusement.

Sam smiled. "I feel like it, I had to jog from the library to here because I realized I was late."

"That's one way to keep in shape I suppose. I was worried you wouldn't make it today."

"And miss this exciting lecture?" Sam motioned toward where some students were passed out sleeping on their desks or fiddling with their cell phones. "Never for the world."

Jess giggled which made Sam's heart skip a beat. She looked beautiful today in a brightly coloured sun dress.

"Yeah, don't worry though I can fill you in on the details." Jess smiled softly, tucking her hair behind her ear.

Sam followed the movement; he had to look away when he felt another blush creep up on his face.

"Let's hope I can store that information away without losing it. Much better than I can seem to store my stuff in my room."

Jess perked up. "You haven't unpacked yet?"

Sam scratched at his neck, dipping down to hide his blush. "Not really, I don't have much to unpack anyway."

"Nonsense! I bet your dorm must feel so cold. Do you have a roommate?"

Sam swallowed, suddenly unnerved with how Jess' bright blue eyes bored into his with curiosity. He never had anyone so interested in him before except his own family. Most kids he went to school with only cared if Sam was smart enough to do their homework. Not Jess though. Jess seemed genuinely interested in anything Sam said. He could probably tell her what he had for breakfast and she still be interested.

"No, no roommate actually."

"Wow really? You're so lucky, my roommate insists on having her stuffed animals scattered everywhere." Jess wrinkled her nose up. "I'm lucky I don't break my neck tripping over them."

"Hey, it's better than having your older brother leave his dirty laundry on the floor. It's like trying to dodge grenades."

"I don't have siblings so I don't know about that but sounds like your brother is a handful."

Sam felt his heart beat a little. "Yeah, yeah he is sometimes."

Jess sensing that she's treading on sensitive ground lowered her voice. "Hey how about I come over later and help you unpack some? I can tell you all about the exciting stuff you missed?"

"You don't have to Jess, I can handle it." Sam assured.

"Sam?" Jess touched Sam's hand making Sam immediately stare at their joined hands. "I want to help you. Come on it'll be fun."

Still staring at their hands was making Sam's head spin. So he looked up into her intense eyes and nodded. "Okay, we can go after this class if you want?"

Jess perked up and flashed him a blinding smile. "Awesome, let's do it."

"Excuse me Mr. Winchester and Ms. Moore would you like to tell me what's so interesting over there?"

Sam jumped at the teacher's voice and blushed again; he gave Jess a secretive smiled as he shook his head. "No, sorry ma'am please go on."


	2. Chapter 2

**Author's Note: **Here is chapter two! If you want to see the story with the art in its entirety you can go to my Lj which is linked on my profile. You can find the masterpost for the story easily enough. From there you can find out more information and see the art post for this story. Enjoy!

* * *

Angrily stripping off his tie, Dean threw it on the open duffle bag and hurried to get out of the hot suit.

The stagnant air between him and his Dad was growing steadily in the small motel room. John stewed on his bed while he idly sipped out of a glass filled with an amber colored whiskey.

Dean did his best to strip out of the suit and put on more comfortable clothes so he could get out of the motel. His being in such close quarters with John wasn't going to do any good. One of them would burst sooner or later and with so many guns and knives in their arsenal that could be dangerous sometimes.

Sliding on a t-shirt, Dean stuffed his wallet in his pocket and jiggled the keys signifying that he'd be leaving. He waited for John to say something, maybe tell him that it was okay to talk about Sam, reassure him that despite Sam leaving Sam was still here in their minds and hearts; he didn't want to leave things like this.

But silence met him. He stiffened his back and angrily burst out the motel, slamming the door behind him.

He stalked up and down the small walkway that lined the motel doors, with no real thought in mind. He saw a couple walking stare at him and whisper behind their hands about him. But one stern glare from him had them hurrying up their nice walk to a brisk pace until they made it behind some small hedges.

Dean sighed and relaxed his stance. He rubbed his palm over his face hoping to erase his angry expression.

He considered maybe hitting a bar but it was probably too early to get hammered when it was only 1:23 in the afternoon. Figuring he could probably do some research on this thing, Dean walked to the Impala and hopped inside.

He knew a huge library was around here somewhere.

Revving her up, Dean peeled out of the parking lot and didn't spare the motel a second glance.

Palo Alto was a really quaint town. The city, with the buzzing streets and tourists at every glance. There was also a pleasantness too it. With the forests and tall evergreen trees at every glance Dean found himself relaxing more as he took in the sights around him.

The wind whipped his hair in frenzy as AC/DC blared out of the speakers. He breathed in deeply and settled an arm out his window, letting the wind brush against it.

Spotting the library up ahead, Dean checked his watch real quick and thought about how fast it took to get here. Stanford and the Library were literally a mile apart.

The more Dean learned about this town the more he dreaded it. Stanford was perfect. Sam had everything he could ever want in a school and town.

Admitting so didn't make the heartache hurt any less, if anything Dean felt himself break down more. Because he would have been lying if he said he didn't hold out a hope he could maybe convince Sam to come back with them.

Now though Dean knows that would never happen. It's not like he didn't get enough time for this all to really settle in but it feels like it's finally weighing with Dean that Sam isn't coming back.

Swallowing Dean pocketed his keys and got out of the Impala. The library steps were pretty big for such a small town; in fact the whole library was huge. It rivaled some that he's seen in much bigger cities.

Walking up slowly, Dean pushed open the huge wooden doors and marveled at how big the library was inside. Books lined almost every wall.

_Sounds like Sammy's wet dream._

Dean shook his head of the thoughts and approached the information desk with determination.

The lady behind the desk was an older woman in her late fifties. Her graying hair was kept up in a bun held by chopsticks. Her glasses kept falling down her nose as she bent over making the woman tsk in frustration and angrily push them back up.

Dean laughed a little and did his best to compose himself. "Excuse me ma'am?"

The woman jumped a little as she squinted at Dean's face. She pushed her glasses up closer until Dean came into focus. "Yes, how may I help you today?"

Dean grinned. "I'm looking for the section for occult books, urban myths and legends please."

The woman frowned. "Really? My, I haven't been asked about those in decades. We keep them down in the basement. So they might be a little run down and dusty sonny."

"I don't mind, and thank you."

"Well follow me then." The woman motioned for Dean to follow behind her which Dean obliged with a grateful smile. Seeing the woman walk around the desk, she was significantly shorter._She must have been standing on something._Dean thought in amusement.

Following behind her Dean got lost in the array of books and shelves he saw. It was like a cave of books upon books; intermingled with students and adults studying, reading or casually browsing the selves.

Dean thought about Sam and tried to picture him seeing the library for the first time.

He smiled to himself at the thought.

"Sir?"

Dean shook his head and focused on the woman again. Noticing they were standing in front of a door that clearly marked basement; Dean blushed. "Sorry just day dreaming I guess."

"Ah don't we all. Libraries are the perfect place for day dreaming."

Dean grinned again. "I guess so."

"Well watch your step down the stairs; they aren't what they used to be. We do have one computer down there but it hasn't been cleaned nor updated in years so expect it to be slow. Hope you find what you're looking for."

"Thank you ma'am." Dean thanked her warmly and watched as she walked off with a smile.

Shaking his head slightly, Dean pushed open the door and shut it gently behind him. The basement was dimly lit by two old lights that appeared to be flickering on and off. The air was moved about by one lone air conditioner nosily humming in the corner.

When the lady said that no one came down here in years Dean didn't know she meant literally. He waved a hand in front of his face to dispel the dust cloud and slowly made his way down the creaky steps.

The basement was actually really small. Just three shelves stocked with books that looked to be falling apart, a small desk with an ancient looking computer sitting near the wall and what looked to be old lockers that haven't been touched in years.

Forgoing the ancient books for a few moments, Dean settled in the computer chair and winced at how it almost sank to the ground. Praying it wouldn't break on him Dean started up the computer and was genuinely surprised at how fast it was given its appearance.

"Never judge a book by its cover I guess."

_Never judge Sam's willingness to leave with wanting to stay with you._

Dean shook his head of the thoughts and typed in 'Stanford newspaper' hoping to maybe find an online website for Stanford, thinking they might have more about the deaths going on.

Finding what he was looking for Dean briefly read the article about the local deaths and found something strange.

**Nathan Pierce had a known allergy to many of the trees in the campsite where he was found.**

Dean figured that Nathan didn't go there on his own accord. The most important question here was what dragged Nathan from his last known location, the local 7/11 which was two miles away from the campsite.

And how did no one see this happen?

Scratching his face Dean sighed. There was just too many possibilities to know anything yet.

About to click out of the website, Dean paused when something caught his eye.

**Local students volunteer to help organize the library's shelves.**

Dean began to read on and briefly read through the names.

**Izzy Lin and David Guther helped sort out the children's section while Sam Winchester helped clear out the mythological and occult section.**

Dean felt his hands shake a little as he smiled. Spying a printer hooked up to the computer, Dean right clicked and printed out the article.

* * *

Clumsily fumbling with his door, Sam blushed as Jess waited patiently behind him. His hands were shaking with nervous energy as he slowly pushed open his door and stepped into his bare dorm room.

"Wow it is pretty bland in here." Jess marveled as she stared at the plain white walls, drab curtains hanging limply and Sam's scattered furniture strewn about.

"Why gee thanks." Sam retorted with a smile, watching as Jess looked form his bed to his lone duffle sitting in the corner.

Jess furrowed her brows, creating adorable crinkles along her forehead. "This is all you brought with you?" Jess asked softly.

Sam shrugged, suddenly feeling self-conscious. "Yeah I don't really have a lot. Wanted to start over, you know?"

Jess flashed him a knowing smile, making her blond curls bob with the movement. "I definitely know. No worries though we can work with what you got!"

Sam rolled his eyes at Jess' cheery nature. She sure was enthusiastic. "Well I guess the only place to start is the duffle bag."

Jess settled down on the floor, bending her knees Indian style, making sure her dress was tucked in underneath her, as she unzipped his lone duffle bag.

"You don't have to sit on the floor you know." Sam offered, feeling bad she would be getting her dress dirty on his carpet.

"I know." Jess replied, taking out Sam's clothes, including his boxers and setting them in neat piles next to her.

Sam blushed. He didn't think this whole thing through apparently.

Sam sat down next to her and let her unpack his life piece by piece.

Jess pulled out a knife and set it idly on the floor, making Sam remember the cool feel of the handle. She then pulled out an old t-shirt of his with a dog on it.

"This is cute." Jess smirked as Sam's blush deepened.

"Oh shut up." Sam reprimanded, snatching the t-shirt back and hiding it behind him. He didn't even remember packing the damn thing; he thought he lost it back in Ohio somewhere.

Jess laughed and dug in deeper pulling out more clothes and the odd assortment of books Sam managed to keep over the years, commenting about the different titles and varying genres.

Sam laughed at Jess' frown of his Charles Darwin book _The Origin of Species_as he picked up his clothes and intended to put them away in the only dresser he had.

"Ok I think we're all unpacked here -oh wait a minute." Jess frowned as she pulled out an old photo, slightly bent at the corners and wrinkled in some areas.

Sam was busy folding his shirts so they would fit in the drawer when he turned around and saw Jess staring at a photo in her hand.

"Is this your family?" Jess questioned with curiosity, holding out the crinkled photo to reveal Dean and Sam standing in front of the Impala. Sam was about 17 in the picture, still clueless to the impending fight that would soon take place when he turned 18.

Sam gulped and slowly made his way over to Jess, bending down he snatched the picture out of her hands. "Yeah." Is all he said as he stuffed the picture in his pocket.

"Oh I'm sorry but that is you right? Is that your brother or something?" Jess stood up and dusted off her dress as she peered at Sam curiously, eager for more information on him.

Sam's hand shook as the memories came flooding in. He remembered how hot it was that day, the Florida sun beating down on them as they washed the Impala.

Dean of course doused him in water the whole time but the sun soon dried them both. After they cleaned the Impala and got her nice and shiny, Dean decided to take a quick snap shot in front of it, beckoning their neighbor at the time, 85 year old Mrs. Smith to take the picture.

"I don't want to talk about it." Sam mumbled, hiding behind his bangs to escape her intense gaze.

"But Sam," Jess lightly touched Sam's arm making Sam flinch and draw it back.

"I said I don't want to talk about! Leave it alone Jess." Sam snapped.

Jess curled back, her blue eyes swimming with tears. "I'm sorry." Is all she said before she hurriedly escaped out the door.

Sam's shoulders slumped, staring at his closed door almost willing Jess to come back.

After watching the door for a few seconds and finally realizing that she won't just magically reappear, he looked away and sighed.

Sitting down on his bed he cradled his head in his hands.

He didn't have to snap at her like that but she was getting too close. Prying open memories Sam rather not remember. The pain was too much to let them all back in.

Sighing Sam figured he should find her and apologize. Standing up, Sam straightened out his shirt and pulled out the photo he hastily stuffed in his pocket. Staring at the worn photo his thumb rubbed against it before he opened his underwear drawer and laid it underneath some boxers. Closing the drawer he set out to find Jess.

Opening his dorm room he immediately noticed two officers talking to a few students a couple of rooms down.

He hid partially behind the door and tried his best to hear what the officers were saying.

"If you can think of anything else it'd be a great help. Just give us a call."

"I don't know how much help I can be though; I didn't know Austin that well. Such a shame this happened."

Sam gulped and tightened his grip on the door. Someone else died, time was becoming short.

Making sure the officers were still engaged, Sam slunk out his door and took the back way where he knew the emergency stairs were housed.

He had to make a quick trip to the library to see if he can figure out what this thing is before it strikes again.

"Find what you were looking for?" The lady behind the counter asked softly, as he quietly read a book.

Dean thought about the article he found on Sam and smiled. "Not quite. I found something better."

"Really? Well that's good. Hope you find what you're looking for soon son."

Dean grinned. "Thanks and I will don't worry. Have a nice day."

Dean waved goodbye and stepped out into the intense sunshine. Walking down the stairs Dean cursed himself at not being able to find anything concrete. So far they had no leads and time was running out, Dean could feel it in his bones.

Jingling the keys with a sigh, Dean walked to the Impala and hopped in. He just hoped his Dad found something while he was gone.

Starting her up Dean pulled out.

* * *

Sam was just walking up toward the library, as he wiped sweat from his eyes. He noticed the black muscle cars end disappear around a corner and smiled. The car was a beauty, Dean would definitely appreciate it.

Frowning, Sam shook his head of the thoughts and tried to focus on the stake at hand.

Walking up the daunting steps, Sam sighed when he finally made it into the air conditioned room. The usual librarian seemed to be out today as Sam approached the information desk.

He helped sort and organize the occult section before but he didn't actually know where they stored the books since he did his organizing in a staff room.

Smiling at the lady behind the desk Sam asked, "excuse me but can you direct me to the occult section please?"

The lady looked up from her book and frowned. "Sure it's in the basement. I'll take you there."

"Thank you ma'am."

The lady smiled at the young boys manners but still silently questioned why so many people wanted to look at such bizarre books. "Follow me."

Sam followed the old woman dutifully as they walked the length of the library to an old door sequestered away from the selves. The black lettering was fading off a little but it clearly read basement.

The lady opened the door and pushed it open revealing a musty room.

"The books are down here, we got a computer and a desk down there as well but remember all these things are old. Just shut the door when you're done."

"Thank you." Sam stated with a sincere smile watching as the lady walked off.

Sam ventured down the basement and sighed at how the room was in disrepair. Not that it mattered anyway.

Walking down the steps, Sam had to duck his head so he didn't bang it on the low hanging ceiling.

Frowning at the low lighting, Sam sighed and got to work on peering at the titles, trying to decide if it will help in anyway with the hunt.

_Hunt?_Sam shook his head. It was a mere investigation, not a hunt. He wasn't going to go kill the thing he was just doing research on whatever it was to help the hunter that killed it.

Yeah, that's it.

Wiping off the dust and grime of some of the titles so he can read them, Sam paused on one book. It was titled in Latin but he could just make out the words goblins and fairies, the other one was a bit odd but he figured with some time he could translate.

Pulling out the book, Sam coughed when it created a huge dust cloud.

The book was heavy and ancient looking, not that that wasn't unusual. It was going to take a while to try and translate it all but he had time...

Sam almost dropped the book on his feet when he remembered he had another class today at 4:00. Checking his watch Sam's eyes bulged at noticing it was 4:05.

"Shit!" Sam exclaimed, taking the book with him as he trudged up the stairs. He couldn't afford to be late again, he just had to check this book out and take it with him.

* * *

Trying to scrub the exhaustion from his face, Dean quietly got out of the Impala and trudged up to their motel room.

He was intending to go straight back when he got done from the library but he decided that wasn't enough time to let John stew. He didn't want to come back just to get in a fight. So he stopped off at a bar along the way and immersed himself in some pool and the beautiful bar tender for a while before finally leaving around 4:30.

Slotting the key in the old door handle, Dean jiggled it, trying to work through the grime to open the door. Once the lock popped open Dean pushed the door open, expecting to find John on the computer researching since his truck was outside.

Instead the room was immersed in darkness. The TV was on, bathing John in a soft glow.

Dean furrowed his brows and waited by the door, staring at his father, watching as he threw down a beer bottle once he realized it was empty.

"Dad?"

John grunted, fighting with the cap of another bottle, trying to pry it open. "What ya want?"

"Are you drunk?" Dean asked suspiciously, noting the slur to John's words. Closing the door softly, locking it behind him, Dean stripped off his jacket and laid the keys down on the table.

"Maybe? What do you care anyway?" John slurred again, finally popping off the cap and taking one large gulp.

"Dad I-"

"I said leave me alone boy! Do I need ta tan your backside? Huh? My belt is still useful ya know."

Dean didn't fall for the ploy and marched over to his father, flicking on the lamp on the bedside table along the way. He watched as John hissed at the lighting, shielding his eyes while cursing under his breath.

Taking the bottle from his Dad's hands, Dean set it on the nightstand. "That's enough for tonight Dad, let's go to bed huh? We got some students to interview tomorrow, okay?"

"No." John mumbled, trying to fight off Dean's hands as he worked to maneuver him underneath the covers.

"Don't need a hangover while you're working a case Dad." Dean mumbled, his hands familiar with guiding his father's drunken weight.

John latched onto Dean's hand, squeezing tightly until Dean finally looked up from his task. His eyes widened at seeing tears in John's eyes.

"I'm I'm sorry. I-I want Sammy back. I'm so sorry Dean please. I'm sorry." John blurted out, his tears finally coming to a head and falling from his eyes.

Dean watched as John broke down. His grip on Dean's hand loosening until the man was brokenly sobbing, allowing Dean to lay him down on the bed and strip him of his shoes and pants.

"Sammy. I want Sammy back. I'm sor-sorry." John sobbed, closing his eyes and turning over in his sleep.

Dean wiped a hand over his face as he sat down on the edge of the bed. He waited for his Dad's hiccups to subside and his breathing to even out before moving.

Standing up, Dean made short work of his own clothing, throwing them in a pile near the bathroom door as he slipped into his own bed.

Staring at his Dad's sleeping form, Dean whispered, "I want him back too." Before he succumbed to a restless sleep. Hoping that when he awoke this nightmare would be over and Sam would be back riding shotgun again.

* * *

Cursing to himself, Sam brushed past students as he finally made it back to campus. Checking his watch he cursed again at noticing he was now 30 minutes late to his class. Running his hands through his disheveled hair, Sam hiked his bag up higher on his shoulder when he noticed it was slipping.

He wasn't paying attention to where he was going. Basically trying to hurry directly to his one sole objective right now, which was making it to class on time.

So when he bumped into someone, Sam cursed again and muttered a quick apology, intending to just hurry along and take the risk of that someone thinking he was a jerk.

"S-S-Sam?"

Sam froze mid-stride, finally looking up to see he ran into Jessica. And that Jessica was crying.

"Jess?"

Jess sobbed and ran into Sam's arms. Wrapping her smaller ones around his waist, her tears soaking Sam's shirt.

Sam frowned, slowy winding his arms around her back in comfort, rubbing up and down to soothe her. "What's wrong Jess? Is it about earlier? If so I'm so sor-"

Jess cut him off mid-sentence, pulling back to reveal her wrecked face. Tears leaking out of her reddened eyes, making her makeup trail rivers down her face. "No its ju-just my fr-friend. She's dead Sam! Oh God, Bethany is dead." Jess sobbed some more, causing Sam to pull her back into his arms.

"Shhhhh. It's alright Jess. Tell me what happened."

"They found her body, I-I just got a call from the police to qu-question me as if I did this!" Jessica huffed; she was beginning to get hysterical.

Sam's heart sank at realizing that while he was researching another death occurred. _These deaths are getting closer together. This thing is amping up his game._

"Okay, it's okay." Sam soothed her, making a bold move to settle his hand atop her hair, running his fingers through her unruly curls. "Let's talk about this in my dorm room?"

Jess sniffed and nodded. Sam smiled a little and put his arm around her shoulder, leading her toward his dorm, hoping to learn as much as he can to figure this thing out.

He'd be damned if someone else dies because of this thing.

* * *

Dean wiped the sweat from his brow as he watched his Dad talk to some local students, getting awoken abruptly by his Dad so wasn't in his agenda today. He figured he'd sleep all the way through the night and come out tomorrow to interview the students but it appeared their resident monster had other plans.

Another death was picked up on the police scanner by his father. After a quick stop at the crime scene to talk to Deputy Matthers again, they headed toward Stanford to interview some students.

His Dad didn't say much the entire time. Just grunted or nodded to answer any of Dean's questions. Not that Dean really cared. It was hot out, someone else was killed, and this nightmare was still a reality.

All in all, Dean was in a pretty horrible mood.

The heat was unbearable as Dean patiently waited for his father to get done. He once again wiped at the sweat on his brow and stared out the window at the campus. It was 5 o'clock now so only a few dwindling students were left buzzing about or taking a break.

Dean's eyes scanned the campus until they locked onto a familiar figure.

"Sammy." Dean whispered, as he spotted his brother walking toward one of the dorm buildings. Dean felt his heart speed up and his mouth go dry. It was one thing to see Sam sleeping in his dorm at the dead of night, but seeing Sam in the full sunshine, alive and healthy? It was just so visually different.

Sam wasn't alone though.

He had his arm around a girl. A very pretty girl. Dean smiled to himself as he watched Sam walk with her toward the entrance.

"Dean."

Dean jumped and turned back toward where his father was leaning against the driver side window.

"What are you looking at boy?" John questioned, peering at the spot Dean was looking at so intently earlier.

Dean looked as well and noted Sam and the girl weren't there anymore.

Dean sighed. "Nothing, it was nothing. So what do you have?"

John shrugged and walked over toward the passenger side door, pulling it open so he could sit. "About the same as what the cops are saying basically. Looks like a mauling but the kids weren't even in the woods when they were last seen."

"That's it? Anything else?"

John frowned, staring at his notepad. "I guess there were two murders actually. They were so close to each other that the police are now thinking it's a serial killer."

"Two?" Dean sighed, feeling frustrated at the amount of people that are dying. "Jesus what is this thing?"

"An ogre."

"What?" Dean did a double take, thinking his Dad was kidding but John looked dead serious. "Are you kidding me? I thought those things were only myth?"

"Well normally they are. There haven't been any ogres in America as far as I know. They usually reside in Europe and around near Ireland."

"What's one doing here than? And how are you so sure it's an ogre." Dean questioned.

"I have no idea what one is doing here to be honest, but I should have put all the pieces together earlier. Ogres prefer forests as their hiding place. Luring kids to their homes or outright kidnapping them in broad daylight. The ogre tears its victims apart and feeds on the meat, disposing of the body parts it doesn't eat."

"Okay, ewww." Dean shuddered, trying to get that mental image out of his head. "That explains why the bodies were...well not intact."

"Yeah this ogre is hungry too; which explains why the death toll keeps on rising. Plus this is prime real estate for an ogre. Campground, college close by? Healthy, young kids galore."

Dean shuddered again as he thought about Sam. "How do we kill the damn thing?"

John grinned. "Thought you'd never ask. Ogres can be killed by fire, one flare gun and he's toast, literally."

"Very funny." Dean muttered rolling his eyes. "Let's toast this bitch then."

"Head back to the motel; we'll pack and be ready to go by nightfall." John informed.

Dean nodded, taking one last chance to stare at the spot where he last saw Sam.

Let's do this.

* * *

Sam quietly shut his door as he ushered Jess inside. She was still sniffling quietly, trying to hold in sobs every so often.

Sam's hand fell off her shoulder as she sat down on his bed, cradling her face in her hands, slowly shaking her head back and forth.

Sam sighed, his heart feeling heavier by the second. "Jess..."

"I can't believe she's gone." Jess sobbed, crying harder.

"I know." Sam consoled quietly, feeling lost all of the sudden. It was hard trying to comfort someone when they lost a loved one. Even if he had seen both his Dad and Dean do it numerous times, it still never got easier.

"She was such a sweet girl. Just wh-who could do this?" Jess cried, raising her head to stare into Sam's eyes.

Sam swallowed at seeing the sheer anguish in her blue orbs. "I can stop it."

"Wh-what?"

Sam swallowed again, feeling nervous. "I ca-can stop this thing, I promise Jess this thing won't be killing anyone else."

"Thing? Sam I don't understand?" Jess asked amidst the tears, her face furrowed in confusion.

"I-I.." Sam stopped stammering and ran a shaky hand through his hair. Looking anywhere but at Jess. "I can't explain. All I can say is I can stop this from happening to anyone else."

Sam expected Jess to run, maybe accuse Sam of killing all these people but Jess just remained silent, staring at him inquisitively, almost like she was trying to look deep into Sam's soul and figure him out. It made him uncomfortable; only one person was able to read Sam so easily. It wasn't easy letting anyone else in.

"Okay." Jess sighed, breaking eye contact and staring at his worn carpet.

"That's it? Only okay?"

"I-I." Jess laughed wetly. "I have to admit you sound positively nutty right now but there's something in your eyes." Jess stood up off the bed and in three confident strides stopped right in front of him. "Your eyes they look-_haunted_like you've encountered things like this before."

Sam shuddered as Jess reached out and laid a hand on his cheek. "How can you know that?"

"You're a good person Sam Winchester. I may not understand you but I believe you."

Sam swallowed again and watched as Jess stared at him some more before she averted her eyes with a blush. It was comical given her makeup caked on her face, eyes big and wet as she grieved for her friend.

_Caught up in something she shouldn't have ever experienced._

Sam sighed again, feeling his heart beat faster. Closing his eyes he pinched the bridge of his nose, hoping to stem the headache that was beginning. "Thanks for the vote of confidence."

Instead of answering, Sam's eyes widened when he felt Jess' lips on his.

The kiss was chaste and gentle and a comfort that they both desperately needed without realizing it. Sam kissed back softly until Jess parted. Her blue eyes twinkling with tears and something else.

"Thank you Sam. I mean it."

"No thanks needed." Sam weakly offered back.

With that Jess hesitated before she slowly walked toward the exit. Sam watched her go with mixed feelings, his heart beating a mile a minute, his stomach fluttering with new found emotions.

Sam stood there, staring at the door long after Jess left. The taste of her lips was still firmly ingrained in his mind.

He had to figure this out, not only for Jess but because he was a hunter. He couldn't sit by idly while innocent lives were taken. With a determined demeanor, Sam sat down on his bed and pulled his book bag into his lap retrieving the book he checked out from the library, and set to work.

* * *

Stuffing the last of his clothes into his duffle, John sighed as the silence began to get to him. Dean hadn't said a word since they left Stanford. John wasn't sure whether being so close to Sam without seeing him was the cause or something else. Whatever the cause, the silence was driving him crazy. He didn't want to leave things like this before a hunt. Especially if things...John sighed and shook his head. _Better not think about that._

"You know…"

"Dean..."

John blinked and laughed a little, seeing a smile ghost across Dean's face. "Sorry, guess we had the same idea. What did you want to say?"

Dean sighed, the smile vanishing almost as quickly as it came. The clothes he was hastily stuffing into his duffle dropping.

"I'm glad Sam isn't hunting anymore." Dean admitted softly.

John stared at his oldest sons head, ready to refute and argue. Maybe try to start another fight but Dean was right.

John deflated, blowing out a breath of air and staring at his own duffle bag. "Me too." John whispered back. He felt his eyes water softly as his fists clenched. "Let's go."

Packing all their belongings, John slammed the Impala door harder than necessary. He knew things definitely weren't okay when Dean didn't yell at him for hurting his baby. All they could do right now to fix things was kill this damn ogre.

Tightening his hands on the wheel, John peeled out spinning the tires, scaring some birds who were perched atop some mailboxes.

The ride to the woods is a short one spent in silence; both Winchesters gearing up for the hunt ahead.

John made sure to park somewhere hidden, just in case a patrolman was still canvassing the area. Getting out, the two men packed what they would need, loading their weapons and double checking them just to be sure.

Guns would be useless on a ogre but it would piss the thing off and distract him until one of them could get a shot off with a flare gun.

Closing the trunk, John locked it and stared at Dean, silently communicating things they usually never said out loud.

_Be careful._

You too.

Dean nodded and then started off towards the west while John took the east. They would meet back in the middle as they both searched for the ogres current residence.

One thing was for damn sure. This ogre was going down.

* * *

Flipping another page of the book, Sam tried to read the tiny text but it was all starting to blur together. Night has since fallen leaving Sam bathed in the bright moon light as he tried to make out just what the hell this thing is.

He contemplated just breaking down and calling Dean. He stared at his phone on the nightstand and had to refrain from picking it up. He was getting nowhere and he knew his brother would have this figured out in less than a day.

Unlike Sam who can't seem too.

_You're not a son of mine. If you walk out that door don't you ever come back, you hear me?_

Sam shook his head of his Dad's voice, trying to get his face out of his mind. He remembered how angry he was, his voice loud and commanding when he waved the acceptance letter in his face. The worst of all was seeing Dean in the corner, just standing there watching the fight go on.

_Did Dean even want me to stay?_

Sam shook his head again. He couldn't be thinking of these things right now. He had to figure this all out before another life is taken.

Turning the page once again Sam paused at seeing the descriptive drawing of an ogre. Curiosity peaked, Sam read on.

**Ogres once known throughout mythology for their docile nature are short creatures, rather hideous to humans and can be viciously territorial. Ogres prefer young, healthy children and sometimes young adults to feast on. Sometimes going through 5 bodies a day. Ogres teeth are very sharp, they tear their victim's limb from limb eating everything they can and leaving the rest. The only way to kill an ogre is by fire, sending it back to the depths of Hell where it can no longer feast on the living.**

Sam's hands shook as he smiled. _Got it!_

Gently tearing out the page, Sam prayed that the library wouldn't notice when he returned it, as he stuffed it in his pocket.

He felt jittery and anxious as he dumped out his duffle of his remaining clothes and stuffed it with what he would need. He didn't have a flare gun so lighter fluid and matches would have to do. Just because he left the hunting world behind didn't mean he'd come here empty handed.

Walking over to his dresser, Sam removed the bottom drawer and reached in to retrieve his gun. It was still shiny from meticulous cleaning sessions. Sam didn't think he would ever need to use it again but he's slowly starting to learn that the life is creeping up on him.

Sighing, Sam shoved his gun in the duffle as well; topped with his phone and his knife. He was ready to go.

Sneaking out of the dorm building was hard given that security guard outside but thankfully for Sam the guy wasn't paying attention, more so interested in a magazine of Playboy he was drooling over.

Shaking his head, Sam swiftly merged into the shadows as he looked around for a car to hot-wire. It didn't take long to find his prize.

The car he picked was rather old to begin with, the window was half down which made it easier to unlock instead of just breaking the glass.

Putting his long arms to use, Sam pulled the lock up and gently opened the car. Bending down, Sam's training took into effect as he hot-wired the car, it turning on with a slight rumble. Sam pulled out quietly so not to disturb the security guard.

The woods weren't even a mile away from the school so it didn't take long to get there. Sam felt his heart hammering in his chest as he pulled up towards the woods, making sure to park behind some trees so his car wouldn't be seen.

Getting out of the car, Sam grabbed his duffle and sighed. Zipping it open, Sam retrieved the gun and put the lighter fluid and matches in his pocket. Turning on the flashlight he brought, Sam held it out in front of him as he trekked across the dirt path, both eyes and ears on red alert for the ogre.

Walking deeper into the woods, Sam didn't even realize that the Impala was parked a little ways up from him.

* * *

"Dammit Dad! Pick up your damn phone." Dean voiced anxiously as his hand gripped the phone. Cursing once again when it went to voice mail.

Looking around the darkness, Dean felt panic begin to well. It had been twenty minutes since he was able to make contact with his Dad.

Putting the phone back in his pocket, Dean's eyes searched the woods surrounding him for any sort of clue. But it was like John just vanished into thin air. He was done searching the west and was waiting in their meet up spot but John was nowhere to be found. Dean tried calling him but either John's phone was turned off or something happened.

Knowing their luck, the ogre found John before they could find it.

"Son of a bitch." Dean muttered again, flashlight swinging in every direction. He had no choice but to find the damn thing himself and hope that would lead him to his father.

Deciding to keep going straight forward, Dean's boots crunched along the path as his flashlight swung back and forth.

Dean didn't know that the ogre had already found him instead of the hunter finding it.

Hanging from a tree limb, the ogre tilted his head in amusement at the hunter. The old man wouldn't do anything for his appetite. But this one? Yes, this man was young, in good shape and smelled delicious already. The old man would prove to be nice bait into luring not only this one but the other hunter the ogre spied.

Even younger than the hunter in front of him. Grinning maniacally to himself, the ogre felt his belly rubble loudly, already picturing tearing into the flesh, best of all hunter's flesh. There was nothing like biting into a hunter, hearing them scream as you ripped their throat out and happily munched on the meat. The satisfaction of being the _hunter_ this time instead of the _hunted._

Grinning to himself the ogre hopped off the tree limb making sure to make some noise so the hunter would get on the right path.

* * *

Hearing a twig snap in the eerie silence made Sam freeze. His breath stilled as his hand shook around the flashlight. He slowly turned around and aimed the beam toward where he heard the sound.

Another twig snapping had Sam slowly setting his bag down to retrieve his weapon. The gun wouldn't do anything but anger the ogre but for now it would have to work because Sam didn't have time to get out his lighter fluid. The only way to kill an ogre was to burn it, a flare gun would have worked wonders but Sam left that behind when he set out on his new life. So now he had to use what he could.

He aimed his gun with one hand and aimed the flashlight with the other, it was awkward and stupid considering he was left with no hands but for right now, it had to do. He waited until a figure started to emerge from the shadows. Sam held his breath and pulled back the safety on his gun.

"Whoa whoa stand down!"

Sam's arm shook as his flash light illuminated a figure. It couldn't be...impossible. "D-Dean?"

Dean's eyes squinted against the harsh beam, making Sam bring the flash light down a tad.

It was Dean Winchester, in the flesh. Sam felt his heart beat against his chest as he stared at his brother. "Wh-what are you doing here?"

"What am I doing here?" Dean stared incredulously at his brother, noting the gun and duffle bag. "Better question would be what are you doing here? And hunting?! Jesus Sammy you left to get away from hunting, remember!?"

Sam flinched, still never liking it when Dean yelled at him. "I-I.." Sam was at a loss for words. Dean was right of course, he left to get away from hunting and wouldn't you know only a few weeks in and he was back to hunting again.

"Well? An explanation would be nice. I just can't believe..." Dean sighed, scrubbing a callused hand over his face.

"I promised Jess I would find this thing, okay!" Sam yelled.

Dean eyed Sam incredulously.

Sam shrunk again, a blush heating his cheeks.

"Jess huh? Who's Jess?"

"A-A girl in my sociolo-" Sam couldn't finish the sentence because an unearthly screeching started up, forcing Sam to moan as he quickly covered his ears, seeing Dean do the same.

"Holy shit what was that?" Sam asked after it stopped, his ears beginning to ring.

"Shhhh." Dean quieted trying to focus on where the screeching was coming from. Finally Dean noticed how the trees began to dwindle almost like it was leading to an outcropping of rocks..a a _cave._

"You have to tell me about Jess later. Dad's missing; I haven't seen him in probably thirty minutes or better."

"What?" Sam gapes, feeling a chill overtake him. "Does that mean-"

"It doesn't mean anything!" Dean snapped. "We'll find Dad okay? See those trees over there?" Dean pointed towards the trees, making Sam turn and shine his light on them. "Yeah, so?"

"So smartass the trees are beginning to thin out which means..."

"An outcropping of rocks should be nearby." Sam finished, he understood that there must be a cave over there, and from what he read a cave would be an excellent hideout for an ogre.

"Come on, stay behind me."

Sam rolled his eyes at his big brother but none the less listened. He let Dean lead the way as they started off toward the trees. _Please let Dad be okay._

* * *

John cursed at the grotesque thing as he strained against the chains holding him to the cave wall. Blood fell down into his eyes making him blink it away so he can focus all his rage on the thing tormenting him. "You son of a bitch. I'm going to kill you I swear!" John yelled, making the ogre smile, showing off his razor edged teeth.

"That's funny John, keep on yelling I'm sure it'll lead Dean here just like I want." The ogre didn't bother mentioning Sam, he already had the father angered beyond belief and it was sweeter to surprise him when he bit into his youngest son, devouring his sweet, healthy flesh.

"You bastard. Don't you dare even touch him." John warned, feeling his heart begin to beat faster in fear for his son. He struggled against the chains again and stared at them, trying to figure some way out of here but he was without a paper clip or lock pick. The ogre stripped him of everything when he was knocked out.

Speaking of which, how could he be so stupid? John waged war with himself, trying to figure out how the damn thing got the drop on him, literally. One minute he was walking and the next the damn thing was falling out of the sky landing right on top of him. To think an ogre was small and stocky but sure as hell weighed a lot.

"What John? Cat got your tongue? Oh...wait maybe I'll have your tongue later on. After I eat your son alive."

John's face screwed up in a scowl, muscles clenching against his bonds. He was ready for a fight but getting angry at the thing wouldn't help matters. No, he had to fight back some other way.

"Hey, wasn't there one of you around Colorado a few years ago?" John was bluffing, he never seen an ogre before nor heard of any hunter who had, but he hoped his bluff would work.

The thing cringed, its body tightening.

"Yeah I remember now, me and a buddy hunted it down and cut off its head. The guy wanted to use the head as a trophy but I told him we'd have to burn the body anyways." John chuckled snidely. "It was a fun hunt."

The thing screeched, making John moan in pain. Before he knew it the ogre pounced over toward him. John knew what was going to happen before the ogre even lifted its hand.

"Stupid human. Learn to hold your tongue." The thing growled before backhanding John, making his head whip against the cave wall.

The ogre smiled in satisfaction at seeing the hunter's head fall forward in unconsciousness. He had wanted him awake for the main course but this would have to do.

* * *

Sam winced again at hearing the horrible screeching sound, his finger tensed on his gun, thinking the ogre was around somewhere.

"Stand down." Dean whispered in front of him. "We're getting close."

Sam obeyed his brother and brought his gun down, preferring to let Dean take the lead.

"Look up ahead."

Sam followed Dean's line of sight and noticed an overhang, and underneath the overhand was an opening to a cave. Sam gulped loudly, praying that their Dad was unharmed. Their Dad was too old for an ogre's usual meal but he didn't really know if this ogre followed the rules or not.

"Stay close." Dean warned, creeping up toward the entrance. Sam following quietly behind him.

Sam spied shirts and jeans lying around the entrance, some of them drenched in blood. He feels his stomach swoosh uncomfortably making him swallow, hoping he'd be able to hold his stomach.

Finally getting toward the entrance, he ran into Dean's back. "What is it?" Sam whispered, trying to see what Dean was staring at,

"Dad." Dean whispered, walking toward his unconscious father.

Sam stared at his father, slumped against the wall and felt his hands begin to shake. Too many emotions coming to the surface, remembering the harsh words his father yelled at him before he left.

"Dad..." Sam whispered in despair.

"I've got a pulse." Dean replied, feeling his Dad's hand gently and wincing at feeling the huge bump forming. "Looks like he's just out cold. Here help me with this."

Sam was about to walk toward his father and Dean when he heard the screeching again. Looking up toward the cave his eyes widened at seeing the grotesque body of the ogre, hanging from the ceiling.

The ogre smiled at him then dropped. Sam did his best to get out of the way but the ogre was coming too fast.

He felt the impact and cried out at the weight, his gun automatically dropped as he lost his balance, falling toward the cave floor.

"Sammy!"

His head bounced against the ground making him moan. His eyes widely searched for his brother and father but everything was blurry, the weight beginning to crush him.

"You son of a bitch!" Sam heard his brother curse before he felt the crushing weight leave his back. Gasping in huge gulps of air, Sam shakily tried getting to his feet.

Everything was swimming as he finally got up on his feet. His Dad was still in the corner, unconscious.

"Dean?" Sam whispered, trying his best to find his brother.

Finally spotting his brother, Sam gasped at seeing the ogre's teeth barred, heading for his brother's neck as he tried his best to hold the creature off.

Looking around, Sam spotted Dean's dropped flare gun and lunged for it. The flare gun was familiar in his hands, years of training making this situation precise. "Hey!"

The ogre stopped, turning to look at Sam with wide eyes. "Get the fuck away from my brother." Sam growled, shooting the flare gun.

The creature screeched, its small body catching fire as it ran around the cave.

Sam stared on wide eyed as the creature finally fell to the ground, its unearthly screeching silencing as the flames overtook him.

"Dean!" Sam yelled, running toward his brother who was trying to get his footing against the cave. "Dean, are you okay?" Sam's shaky hands ran over his brother's body, checking for injuries.

"Son of a bitch." Dean groaned, pushing off the cave wall, stumbling a bit before he righted himself. "I'm fine Sammy."

Sam sighed, his hands falling to his side.

"You did good." Dean smiled although to Sam it looked more like a grimace. "Come on we have to help Dad."

Sam nodded and with Dean's help they removed the chains from John as they both worked to lug his body out of the woods. By the time they made it to the Impala Sam was spent.

Too many raw emotions were coming to the surface, wreaking havoc with his mind. He stayed silent on the way to the hospital, glancing back every once in a while to stare at his Dad.

* * *

Sam watched as his brother walked down the hallway, hands deep in his pockets, a grimace plastered on his face. Sam winced himself and fingered at the lump hidden behind his hair. Each of them came out worse for wear but it was definitely better than the alternative.

"Hey," Sam says softly in greeting.

"So, Dad's okay. Just a concussion and some bruised ribs.

"That's good." Sam whispered, awkwardly wringing his hands together.

"Sam..." Dean sighed.

"No, I-I can't you _know_I can't."

"Sammy this is ridiculous. Dad would want to see you; it's all he could think about these last few weeks. Hell it's why we _came_here in the first place." Dean ran his hands through his hair in frustration, feeling like he wanted to scream.

As nice as the thought was, Sam knew that it wasn't the time or the place to. He just couldn't see his Dad. It was best if he walked off for now.

"I-I'm sorry okay. I just can't." Sam sighed, feeling a headache begin to form.

Dean's body stiffened before he relaxed, finally admitting defeat. "Yeah, okay. Don't want to taint your college life or anything."

Sam's heart fell at the sneer. "Dean..."

"You're right Sammy. It's not the time. Go back to Jess okay? Me and Dad will manage."

Sam swallowed, seeing the obvious hurt in his brother's eyes. His resolve almost crumbled but he knew Dean was right. Figuring it's best to cut ties before he got too attached; Sam turned around and walked out of the hospital, not sparing Dean or John a second glance.

He'd have to hail a taxi with what little money was on him but this was for the better.

_Then why does it feel like my heart's been ripped out and left behind?_

* * *

Sam let out a nervous breath as he watched the Impala pull up.

He was awoken after a tumultuous night with a text saying to be waiting outside at six. Sam didn't know if he was ready, he didn't want to say _goodbye_. The word felt so foreign on his tongue.

_Never goodbye. Not Dean. No._

His hand began to shake as the early morning sun shines off the Impala's hood. Sam walked up to the car and bent down, peering into the window at his brother casually staring at Sam.

"Hey Sammy."

"Hi Dean." Sam sighed, this was so hard.

"You kicked some major ass out there you know." Dean complimented, flashing Sam a cheeky grin despite his heart feeling like it was being stomped on.

"Yeah." Sam sighed, looking down at the Impala's flawless interior, picturing how it feels against his skin.

"You know-"

"Yeah I know Sammy. It's alright."

Sam sniffed softly at seeing the knowing look on Dean's face. Dean was saving him the trouble of saying goodbye. _Just like God damn Dean._

"You have to call me and tell me about Jess sometime okay?" Dean gestured to somewhere behind Sam which caused Sam to turn around.

Jess was standing shyly behind Sam a blush on her face, curly hair on the fritz from just waking up.

Sam turned back to his brother. "Dean..." Sam whimpered, not wanting it to be over. _Please God no._

"Take care of yourself Sammy." Dean said, his throat closing up at the words.

Sam realized it was the end, he pulled out of the window and watched as Dean pulled away, the taillight glinting as he did.

Sam felt the tears as they rolled down his face, his hard stoic mask already slipping, especially when Jess came up behind him and hugged his back, softly whispering reassurances in his ear.

Sam knew it was for the best. This was what he wanted but it _hurt_. It hurt so much.

"It'll be alright Sam." Jess whispered soothingly, her small hand softly rubbing his back.

"Yeah." Sam said amidst the tears, laughing at himself. "Yeah, maybe it will be."

Dean rummaged through his cassette tapes at a stop light, hoping to put some music on to drown out his thoughts.

Finally he plucked one from the bunch and stared at it; hands shaking.

The old case read **R.E.M**and instantly Dean knew it was Sam's. Can even remember when he gave it to Sam on his birthday, can picture his face as he smiled and waved it about, happy to have music to play in the Impala like Dean.

He found himself smiling as he rubbed his thumb over the worn case.

Popping it out he put it in the player and turned the volume up as loud as he could stand it.

Pressing down on the gas when the light turned green, already ready to follow Dad out of California to Bobby's, Dean listened to the music and finally broke down, his eyes grew wet as the tears that have been building ever since Sam left silently slip down.

_When your day is long and the night_

_The night is yours alone_

_When you're sure you've had enough of this life, well hang on_

_Don't let yourself go_

_Everybody cries and everybody hurts sometimes_

**The End**

* * *

**_Well I hoped you enjoyed the story because I certainly enjoyed writing it. Reviews are love. Thanks for reading!_  
**


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